The field of the present invention is structural hardware employed with body mounted camera equipment.
Motion isolating mounting equipment used for mounting a cinematographic camera to a cameraman has been available since the mid 1970's. Such equipment has been designed to very substantially isolate the motion of the supporting body from the camera. At the same time, such systems provide suspending support for a cinematographic camera of substantial weight. Such supported cameras are capable of being lightly guided by the hand of the camraman to exhibit relatively universal motion. A number of patents issued on such early equipment include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,017,168; 4,156,512; 4,208,028 and 4,394,075.
The load to be carried by such mounting equipment typically includes a tube chassis, or post, with a camera platform at the upper end and batteries and other elements at the other, this assembly being referred to as a sled, and the cinematographic camera atop the platform. The post has a handle for manipulating the assembly. A three-axis gimbal mechanism, the axes being referred to as pan, tilt and roll, is attached to the post near but above the effective center of gravity of the entire assembly including the camera. The gimbal mechanism is supported by the motion isolating mounting equipment. One such assembly including a post and three axis gimbal mechanism is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,112, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Motion isolating mounting equipment to carry such an assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,030,130 and 6,347,892, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Because of the weight and bulkiness of such systems, proper set up is both critical and difficult. One area of concern has been the location of the gimbal relative to the center of gravity and center of moments. Some natural righting is desirable. Consequently, the gimbal is typically found slightly above the center of gravity. Obtaining that precise sweet spot can be difficult. Further, certain circumstances and shot sequences may require some adjustment to that position for advantageous effect. Clamps have been employed between the gimbal and the post. Unclamping of the gimbal from the post is typically required for adjustment to the relative location of the gimbal to the center of gravity.